504 for ADHD for kid with good grades

[megshahmvsed]

I hope some of the posts here have been helpful as a starting point. Navigating the 504 process can feel frustrating, especially when you know how hard your child is working behind the scenes.

One thing that can get lost in these conversations is that grades alone don’t determine 504 eligibility. The question is whether a disability substantially limits things like learning, focusing, or completing work without accommodations. Many students with good grades are putting in an enormous amount of extra time and effort to keep up.

A few things that can help going into the meeting:

• Bring concrete examples of what it looks like at home (hours of homework, reteaching missed material, late nights to stay on track).
• Use the evaluator’s report and ask the school to respond directly to the accommodations that were recommended.
• Frame the conversation around sustainability, not just performance — a student shouldn’t have to exhaust themselves to maintain good grades.

A previous denial also doesn’t prevent a school from approving a 504 now, especially with updated testing and the increased demands of high school.

I’m a DC-based educational consultant, former school leader, and attorney who helps families prepare for 504 and IEP meetings. If it would be helpful to talk through how to approach the meeting, feel free to DM me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Research shows that extra time on exams / tests / assignments is counter productive for ADHD as an accommodation.

There is scientific evidence against it and none for it.

For the ADHD brain, the more time you have, the more time you put it off, procrastinate, do other things. The ADHD brain executes better under tighter deadlines and more structure, not less.

Cite please?

[Anonymous]

I got straight As in school but I couldn't focus in class, stayed up late learning the material and wished the bus would run me over in the mornings. Yes, kids that are getting straight As can still be struggling academically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Research shows that extra time on exams / tests / assignments is counter productive for ADHD as an accommodation.

There is scientific evidence against it and none for it.

For the ADHD brain, the more time you have, the more time you put it off, procrastinate, do other things. The ADHD brain executes better under tighter deadlines and more structure, not less.

The research and what schools actually see in practice is more nuanced than "it’s counterproductive for ADHD."

From what I've read, studies often show that extra time doesn’t dramatically, automatically raise test scores for students with ADHD — but that's not the same thing as showing it harms them. There isn’t solid evidence that it’s broadly counterproductive. ADHD affects kids differently. Some do work well with tight deadlines, but others struggle with distraction, slower processing, or anxiety when the clock is ticking.

The goal of accommodations isn’t to give an advantage - it's to level the playing field so a student's grade reflects what they know, not just how fast they can work under pressure. Extended time is just one tool schools use, and it's hopefully paired with other supports like quieter testing spaces or breaks.
It won't help every kid, but for some students it reduces the panic of running out of time and lets them actually show what they've learned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got straight As in school but I couldn't focus in class, stayed up late learning the material and wished the bus would run me over in the mornings. Yes, kids that are getting straight As can still be struggling academically.

And there’s no evidence that getting accommodations of the type demanded by parents now would have helped you, at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Research shows that extra time on exams / tests / assignments is counter productive for ADHD as an accommodation.

There is scientific evidence against it and none for it.

For the ADHD brain, the more time you have, the more time you put it off, procrastinate, do other things. The ADHD brain executes better under tighter deadlines and more structure, not less.

The research and what schools actually see in practice is more nuanced than "it’s counterproductive for ADHD."

From what I've read, studies often show that extra time doesn’t dramatically, automatically raise test scores for students with ADHD — but that's not the same thing as showing it harms them. There isn’t solid evidence that it’s broadly counterproductive. ADHD affects kids differently. Some do work well with tight deadlines, but others struggle with distraction, slower processing, or anxiety when the clock is ticking.

The goal of accommodations isn’t to give an advantage - it's to level the playing field so a student's grade reflects what they know, not just how fast they can work under pressure. Extended time is just one tool schools use, and it's hopefully paired with other supports like quieter testing spaces or breaks.
It won't help every kid, but for some students it reduces the panic of running out of time and lets them actually show what they've learned.

All kids have differing abilities to work under pressure. What is happening here is that it is being pathologized and rich parents buy their kids an advantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got straight As in school but I couldn't focus in class, stayed up late learning the material and wished the bus would run me over in the mornings. Yes, kids that are getting straight As can still be struggling academically.

And there’s no evidence that getting accommodations of the type demanded by parents now would have helped you, at all.

OP has not specified what accommodations the student requires

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Research shows that extra time on exams / tests / assignments is counter productive for ADHD as an accommodation.

There is scientific evidence against it and none for it.

For the ADHD brain, the more time you have, the more time you put it off, procrastinate, do other things. The ADHD brain executes better under tighter deadlines and more structure, not less.

The research and what schools actually see in practice is more nuanced than "it’s counterproductive for ADHD."

From what I've read, studies often show that extra time doesn’t dramatically, automatically raise test scores for students with ADHD — but that's not the same thing as showing it harms them. There isn’t solid evidence that it’s broadly counterproductive. ADHD affects kids differently. Some do work well with tight deadlines, but others struggle with distraction, slower processing, or anxiety when the clock is ticking.

The goal of accommodations isn’t to give an advantage - it's to level the playing field so a student's grade reflects what they know, not just how fast they can work under pressure. Extended time is just one tool schools use, and it's hopefully paired with other supports like quieter testing spaces or breaks.
It won't help every kid, but for some students it reduces the panic of running out of time and lets them actually show what they've learned.

All kids have differing abilities to work under pressure. What is happening here is that it is being pathologized and rich parents buy their kids an advantage.

Troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Research shows that extra time on exams / tests / assignments is counter productive for ADHD as an accommodation.

There is scientific evidence against it and none for it.

For the ADHD brain, the more time you have, the more time you put it off, procrastinate, do other things. The ADHD brain executes better under tighter deadlines and more structure, not less.

I actually agree with this. My ADHD 13yo DD rushes through things, doesnt take the time to read questions fully etc. she has “ extra time” because I think it’s an easy thing to offer. She’s never needed it though

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Research shows that extra time on exams / tests / assignments is counter productive for ADHD as an accommodation.

There is scientific evidence against it and none for it.

For the ADHD brain, the more time you have, the more time you put it off, procrastinate, do other things. The ADHD brain executes better under tighter deadlines and more structure, not less.

I actually agree with this. My ADHD 13yo DD rushes through things, doesnt take the time to read questions fully etc. she has “ extra time” because I think it’s an easy thing to offer. She’s never needed it though

As a tutor, I can say that it might be that she's never needed it because no one every showed her why she needed it - what kind of mistakes were connected to attention -- or how to use it. In addition, she probably was discouraged from using accommodations by enough peers and teachers to just not ask for it.

I see this all the time in kids I tutor. I also regularly tutor kids with disabilities who are very bright and can score well, with accommodations, on tests in ways that other students (and adults) cannot, even if they had all the time in the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Research shows that extra time on exams / tests / assignments is counter productive for ADHD as an accommodation.

There is scientific evidence against it and none for it.

For the ADHD brain, the more time you have, the more time you put it off, procrastinate, do other things. The ADHD brain executes better under tighter deadlines and more structure, not less.

Maybe— but it can be a huge help for kids with anxiety which a lot of kids with ADHD have. My son who has both often just needs five or 10 more minutes to finish a test. Before we got it he was having near panic attacks, trying to prioritize what he could get done and what he would have to leave blank

[Anonymous]

What are common 504 accommodations in high school? We had a 504 in elementary and then switched to private where like a previous poster he’s just given extra time as needed, more flexibility with turning things in, and it’s a very small environment, etc. He also can tell a teacher when he has spent more than an hour on a subject of homework and he’s done.

In a year he will go back to public high school and I’m trying to figure out what we will need in place. I think for sure preferential seating and more time for tests because he already had that in elementary school. He also got breaks in elementary school—what does that look like in high school? Do they offer accommodations for homework or not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are common 504 accommodations in high school? We had a 504 in elementary and then switched to private where like a previous poster he’s just given extra time as needed, more flexibility with turning things in, and it’s a very small environment, etc. He also can tell a teacher when he has spent more than an hour on a subject of homework and he’s done.

In a year he will go back to public high school and I’m trying to figure out what we will need in place. I think for sure preferential seating and more time for tests because he already had that in elementary school. He also got breaks in elementary school—what does that look like in high school? Do they offer accommodations for homework or not?

HS teacher here and preferential seating is common, but that looks different for every student and every classroom. Breaks can be anything from a a trip to the bathroom or just not doing work and putting the assignment down for 5 min. Unfortunately this is one of the most abused accommodations of my students to wander the halls and skip and a “break” turns into them being gone for 20 min. We often have to meet again and say they can’t leave the room, unless it’s to actually use the bathroom.

As for telling the teacher times up after an hour, no, that’s not done in HS. Homework isn’t assigned by time anymore. You need to get an assignment done. It’s either studying to learn for a test, the lab write up, math problems, paper, etc.

It’s not as easy as asking for reduced assignments either. You can’t change the 5 page paper into a 3 page paper or the 10 math problems into 5. Your kid will be missing content.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a stretch OP. 504s are not intended to just make everything easier for all kids.

DP. Not a stretch. OP's kid is not "all kids". Things get harder each year. If he qualifies for extra time or any other accommodations, they should be granted to him. The extra work these kids put in when they have ADHD is exhausting for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are common 504 accommodations in high school? We had a 504 in elementary and then switched to private where like a previous poster he’s just given extra time as needed, more flexibility with turning things in, and it’s a very small environment, etc. He also can tell a teacher when he has spent more than an hour on a subject of homework and he’s done.

In a year he will go back to public high school and I’m trying to figure out what we will need in place. I think for sure preferential seating and more time for tests because he already had that in elementary school. He also got breaks in elementary school—what does that look like in high school? Do they offer accommodations for homework or not?

My DC has accommodations for seating near the front of class, and frequent check-ins by the teachers to make sure he’s on task and understands. He doesn’t need extra time, if anything he needs to be reminded to slow down and check his work.